TAMPA, Fla. — Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and defenseman Victor Hedman will represent the Lightning at next month’s NHL All-Star Game.
Center Steven Stamkos, who entered Thursday ranked sixth in the league in scoring, was not selected, but was among the “Last Man In” candidates that can be voted in by fans. Online voting runs through Monday.
Vasilevskiy (20-6-3) entered the day tied with Nashville’s Juuse Saros with a league-best 20 wins, while ranking sixth among qualified goalies with a 2.19 goals-against average with a .924 save percentage.
Vasilevskiy has participated in the All-Star Game the past three seasons; he was added to the Atlantic Division roster as an injury replacement in the previous two seasons. His four All-Star Game selections are the most by a Lightning goaltender.
Hedman, a four-time All-Star pick, continues to be one of the top all-around defensemen in the league. His 38 points this season — seven goals and 31 assists — lead all defensemen. His 2.7 defensive point share ranks sixth in the NHL.
There was no All-Star Game in 2021 because of the abbreviated regular-season schedule.
Eleven players are selected from each division to play in a 3-on-3 20-minute tournament format. The two Eastern Conference divisions — Atlantic and Metropolitan — and the two Western Conference divisions — Central and Pacific — will play each other with the winners meeting in the final.
The weekend opens with the skills competition Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. followed by the game the next day at 3 p.m. Both events take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN+.
Olympic news
Lightning defenseman prospect Nick Perbix was named to the USA Olympic Team on Thursday. Perbix, the Lightning’s sixth-round pick in 2017, is a senior at St. Cloud State. With NHL players no longer participating in the Beijing Games, Team USA is made up mostly of college players.
Hudson native Nathan Smith, a junior forward at Minnesota State, was also named to Team USA. Smith, a Mitchell High grad, was a third-round pick by Winnipeg in 2018.
